Dog recovering after being left tied up with protruding uterus in frigid park

INDIANAPOLIS -- A pit bull is recovering at a foster home after animal care workers found it tied up at an Indianapolis park with its uterus hanging out Saturday morning.

An officer with Indianapolis Animal Care Services said in a report that the 2-year-old dog named Journey was found with blood on the pavilion floor and had a protruding uterus, according to WXIN. Temperatures that day were in the single digits.

“Her uterus was completely outside of her body," said Missy Patton, a spokesperson at Helping Paws, a pet adoption and rescue organization. "That required emergency surgery that day.”

Journey was released by animal care to Helping Paws so the dog could get treated. Surgery would cost $5,000, and thanks to Helping Paws' supporters, the dog went into surgery Saturday.

“We started posting to social media that she was going to need donations and the community was amazing," said Patton. "Helping Paws has the greatest followers. They pitched in and we were able to cover her surgery.”

The dog was spayed on Sunday, a procedure that Patton said, if done before, Journey would have never been put in danger.

“The uterus issue was a chronic condition," Patton said. "One that easily could have been prevented if she was spayed earlier in life. The people who had her previous(ly) didn’t take the time to get her spayed and it’s such an important thing to do. Not only does it prevent overpopulation of dogs, but it can help prevent medical cases like these. She didn’t have to be in this condition.”

Patton and a spokesperson at Indianapolis Animal Care Services said there are resources available for pet owners who are worried about covering the expenses associated with providing an animal appropriate medical care.

Animal care said it's not sure if Journey ever had a home or not. The officer who picked up Journey did not find a collar on the pit bull and the dog was not microchipped.

Helping Paws plans to find the owner and has offered a $500 reward to anyone who can help locate them.

"Journey was suffering because someone made the selfish decision to tie her and leave her to die," Patton said. "We want that person to be held accountable for what they did. We want justice for Journey.”

Patton said Journey will need to stay under the care of her foster mother for at least another month, but the organization has already received several applications from people willing to adopt the pit bull.

Animal services said if the dog's former owner is found, that person could be charged with abandoning an animal.

“People can reach out to any rescue in the city or any shelter," said Patton. "No one will ever turn you away if you are trying to do the right thing for your pet. If it’s a money issue, we can help you get the resources you need."